Trip to Town K
by DreamyLoner
Summary: Emil is an eighteen-year-old seeking the meaning of his life. Leon is the snarky boss dealing with a dysfunctional family. Yong Soo is the incompetent husband asking for a second change. Broken relationships. Shattered dreams. Lost memories. And then it happens. A virus outbreak. Everything changes for good. Zombie Apocalypse AU. Inspired by Train to Busan. KoHo. HongIce.
1. Chapter 1

Emil would have stayed in Town N if it weren't for the highly competitive salary.

He used to think he stood a chance being a zoo keeper, preferably working in the Nordic animal zone. He received his first pet puffin on his fifth birthday. The bird had sheer black feathers, a white face and a yellow, sharp beak. Lukas, knowing how Emil had an infatuation with bow ties, adorned the little creature with a red ribbon around its neck. The bird squawked incessantly and thrashed about the first time Emil attempted to hold it. Nonetheless, it was a gift from Lukas so it always meant something. He didn't know that the puffin he owned was the last one on earth. Nor did he realise how much trouble Lukas went through to get this extinct species for him. His dream to work for the zoo never came true.

When Emil was in middle school, his brother's boyfriend joined the military. Mathias was an obnoxious and incredibly loud guy with spiky blond hair and drooping blue eyes. With an inconceivable amount of confidence and sense of justice, he believed he could take charge of everything, and perhaps one day, owned an army of his own. He had an extremely optimistic outlook of life and showing off his physical capability was just his thing. Somehow, he managed to convince Lukas to tag along with him. When Lukas left for military training, Emil thought he might follow him when he graduated.

His plan changed when Lukas insisted that he continued his studies in college. Lukas said he didn't want the entire family to be soldiers. Their cousin, Tino, was a war veteran and he came back with PTSD a few years back. Lukas wanted Emil to live less dangerously. Fair enough, he could never counteract his brother. Lukas got him admitted to a prestigious college in the local area. He went along with his brother's wishes. He took economics and finance even though he didn't like them a bit. In all honesty, he had no directions of life whatsoever.

After the first year, he decided that he needed a break, so he went for a gap year. He applied for an intern position in Town H. He figured he had never once left his own district for the past eighteen years. He desperately needed a new change. He was living with Tino and his husband, Berwald, then. They were expecting a child that summer. Yes, male pregnancy had been made possible a century ago after Honda Technology Ltd. invented a drug that allowed homosexual couples to reproduce. Homosexuality wasn't even a controversy anymore. In a world full of artificial intelligence, anti-aging cosmetics, interplanetary internet and blooming impossible technology, people were far too occupied to bother with one's sexual orientation. Tino and Berwald of course supported Emil's choice. Emil thought he was being the third wheel if he stayed anyway, so he packed his stuff, dropped a message to Lukas, borrowed Mathias car and left.

Currently, he was working for this international corporation that had investment all over the world. The company targeted Asian stock markets and from time to time, it funded various technological projects. Emil had his own mini-office, much to his astonishment. His boss was the one who hired him. The only questions he asked in the interview were 1) Are you, like, gay? 2) Do you, like, mind working overtime?

The first question was meant to tease him. His boss, also the chief executive officer of the company, was a snarky, arrogant bastard. An Asian at that. He had choppy black hair and dark brown eyes. He kept his bangs long enough to cover his bushy eyebrows. He was quite good-looking, which Emil had to admit. He probably caught Emil staring so he asked if he was gay. Poor Emil. He blushed so immensely he felt like a volcano had just erupted on his head. He really did consider dashing for the door but the Asian man only smirked at him and clarified it was a joke.

He got employed right away.

Leon Wang-Kirkland was his name. His boss was gay. Very gay. So damn gay Emil could never understand why those pathetic girls at the office still fawned over him, believing that they could get a date from him or something. Leon was a major flirt. He never hesitated to use this skill to his own benefit and manipulate his subordinates. Emil was appalled when he first learnt that it was a norm for everyone to work overtime. Worse still, they were willing to endeavour for Leon even though he was clearly violating the law of maximum working hours. Emil's job duties were never specified and he found himself courageous enough to apply for an unknown post simply because of its attractive remuneration. Only when he got tricked into signing the contract did he realise all those "rudimentary office tasks" actually ranged from arranging Leon's documents, handling his clients, writing proposals, answering phone calls to running errands, helping him fix his suit before an important meeting, being an audience for him to grumble to whenever a trade didn't turn right and babysitting his spoiled-rotten princess. Basically, he had to do whatever Leon asked him to, even cleaning the toilet.

He couldn't deny that despite his cockiness, Leon did have a charm or two. He was ten years older than Emil. He got married at eighteen and had a daughter. He graduated from college and got his master degree in accounting and global finance at twenty-two. By twenty-four, he inherited his father's company. Emil went over to his place a few times to babysit his daughter at the weekends. The girl was a passive-rebellious ten-year-old. She was basically a female replicate of Leon's younger self. Her complexion was lighter than her father's though. She had long, black hair which she usually let down loosely over her back. There was a weird curl sticking out of her right bang. Emil swore he saw a face in that curl. She never spoke much in front of Emil and she kept her head down most of the time. She brought along her stuffed panda everywhere. She named it "Xiang", which Emil had to learn later it means "Fragrant". Emil spent a good hour trying to break the ice during their first encounter. The girl normally didn't cause much trouble, but she had a temper like her parents. Whatever she wanted, she had to claim it. If she didn't get it, she would make your life a miserable hell. Emil couldn't blame her because Leon was never good at raising kids. All the value he cared to indoctrinate his child with was always about money and success. The poor girl was trained at a young age to follow her father's province. Emil sometimes felt sorry for all the supplementary classes she had to attend and the high scores she had to attain at school.

Emil never met Leon's husband in person. He had seen his face in many family photos in Leon's gigantic cottage. The man was of Korean descent. He was a head taller than Leon and looked pretty goofy. Somehow, his cherubic grin reminded Emil of Mathias. Almost in every picture, he was laughing and hugging his family. He, too, had charcoal black hair and a curl that defied gravity. Emil overheard Leon talking on phone once. It was not a pleasant conversation. Leon's face was completely red with anger. His eyebrows were creased. He was slamming the table and barking into the mouthpiece. Emil only caught the name "Yong Soo".

"Emil, Honda Technology Ltd. just sent in their new project proposal this morning," Leon said, not looking up from his computer screen. "We're, like, going to fund their project and collaborate with them in investigating DrugIM66X. The estimated profit can be up to trillion dollars. I want you to, like, read through the proposal carefully and arrange a meeting with their senior manager next week. This is super important."

Emil didn't reply. He was far too busy sneezing. The 300 square feet office room was located on the thirtieth floor of a commercial centre. Emil could see the cloudless, blue sky clearly through the pristine glass windows. Leon's desk occupied a large proportion of the room. His chair was large and fluffy. Everything was made of glass or crystals. The air-conditioner was at full blast, the way Leon liked it.

"Emil!" Leon growled.

Emil rolled his eyes and replied, "Yes, got it."

"Listen when I'm, like, speaking to you, okay?" Leon looked up from his computer. "You're, like, always spacing out."

"You know why," Emil said. For his record, he had been working eight hours a day. He was severely sleep-deprived and not to mention he hadn't got enough supplies of liquorice for a while.

"I sleep, like, seven hours a day and I think that's pretty enough," Leon said.

Emil grunted. He walked over to the table and took the binder from Leon.

"Don't forget to, like, finish the annual financial report," Leon reminded and returned to typing his keyboard. "You didn't finish it yesterday."

"Right," Emil sighed and walked towards the door.

"Wait."

He kept his hand on the knob and turned back. Leon continued typing and didn't look at Emil.

"Do you have any idea what school girls like nowadays?"

"Huh?" Emil tilted his head and frowned.

"What school girls like nowadays," Leon repeated. "Like, what kinds of toys, books, things they prefer."

Emil raised his brows curiously. Leon peeked at his subordinate and added, "It's Leona's birthday next week. I wanna, like, get her a present."

"Oh." Emil nodded. His lips curved slightly upwards.

 **oOo**

Leona stood at the school gate and looked around. W Academy was never her favourite place. It was a private school for the local elites and higher-class. The previous school her appa sent her was so much better. The teachers were less strict and there were fewer regulations. Girls there wouldn't make fun of one another's fashion and appearance. Boys would never talk excessively about academics and competitions.

She held Xiang close to her chest. A hand tapped her shoulder. She spun around and smiled.

"Hey, wanna come over to play computer games at my place?" a boy with light blond hair and hazel eyes asked. He held out a beautiful purple orchid. The girl giggled and accepted it gratefully. She stuck it into her hair. His tie was missing and his shirt was slightly dishevelled. He was also sweating, apparently having run from the court.

"We've just finished basketball," another boy with brown hair butted in, holding a basketball in his hands. She wished she could join them, but since she broke her elbow last time from swinging on the monkey bars, her dad wouldn't allow her to ruin any parts of her body again, especially her hands, which she needed in order to play the piano flawlessly.

"Come on, we can do homework together!" the third boy said, his dark eyes sparkling with glee behind his glasses.

"I can't…" the girl replied.

"Why? Did your crazy father arrange another after-school class for you again?" the second boy asked. If he remembered correctly, she had done dancing on Monday, swimming on Tuesday, piano and drawing on Wednesday, singing and drama on Thursday and what else…

"No…I don't have any classes today but I need to wait for my grandpa."

"You can make a call and ask if you could do revision with your classmates," the first boy suggested with a bright smile.

The girl brooded over this. It didn't hurt to try. After all, Yao was always more lenient. He might actually agree to let her hang out with her friends for a while. She just needed some grovelling and sulking. She dug into her pocket and pulled out her mobile, the latest and most advanced model in the 22nd century. She punched the first number and a shimmering, black car pulled up outside the gate. She glanced at the vehicle and dropped her toy.

Leon hopped out of the driver's seat and fixed his tie. He slammed the door. Juggling the keys, he walked towards his daughter with a hand jammed in his pocket. Leona took a timid step back. Her classmates all looked up at her father.

The man stopped in front of the little girl. He glimpsed the boys nonchalantly and bent down to pick up her toy. He dusted the stuffed panda and handed it back to her.

"D-Dad?"

"Grandpa is busy today. I, like, finished work early so I'm the one picking you up," Leon said and held out his hand.

The girl didn't take it. She looked at her companions and then back at her father.

"Can I, like, go over to my friend's place and play computer games?"

"No," Leon said. He grabbed Leona's hand and shot the three boys a glare. "Yo, you three, stop bugging my daughter after school and teaching her to skive off. She has, like, a lot of stuff to do. She can't play with you guys."

Leona gasped. The three young boys gawked at Leon with pale faces. They whispered something to one another and ran off. Leon dragged Leona towards his car. The girl climbed into the front seat with a scowl. Leon hopped into the car and buckled his seatbelt. He started the engine. The car sped away.

"Why would you say that?" she asked, glaring up at her father. Leon caught her gaze through the rear-view mirror.

"Say what?"

"Say that to them," she said. "They will never hang out with me again!"

"Good," Leon said hoarsely. "They look like a bunch of delinquents to me."

"What?"

"Those three boys are, like, always getting into trouble and breaking school rules," Leon said. "I don't want you to, like, talk to them again."

She wanted to retort that he used to be a delinquent too. It was not even a family secret that both her parents got into pretty much trouble in their teens. Her appa was notorious for groping people and playing pranks on others. Her dad was a pyromaniac punk who went around lighting firecrackers and toying with explosives.

"They're my friends," the girl said. "And they're not delinquents. They never do anything bad."

"If you want a friend, I can pick one for you," Leon said coldly.

"I don't want it," the girl replied with a stoic face, squeezing the panda tightly. "Where's Grandpa Yao?"

"I told you he can't pick you up today."

"Why?"

"You ask too many questions, Leona."

"Soo Jin," the girl corrected.

"Now don't you start it." Leon frowned. He never liked calling her that name and he regretted ever letting Yong Soo pick it. He had no idea why she would prefer it over "Leona".

The girl pouted and leant her head against the window.

"How's your test?"

"Ninety-five," she muttered monotonously as buildings and roads flashed past her eyes.

"Who got the highest?"

"Jason. He got ninety-eight."

"Then that's not good enough," Leon said. "You could, like, do better next time."

The girl lowered her head. She had long gotten accustomed to his father's ridiculous expectations and she knew it was her responsibility to uphold the family's reputation. Anything that wasn't the best was considered meaningless. She remembered pulling an all-nighter doing revision before the test. Still, she couldn't achieve what he wanted.

Leon grabbed a bag of gummy bears from the dashboard and shoved it into her hands. She blinked.

"I mean, you did fine but there's always room for improvement," Leon said. "Not giving you pressure or anything, sweetheart. I, like, believe in your capability."

She tore open the wrapper silently and stuffed her mouth with the candies.

"Where are we going?"

"A hotel," Leon said. "Since I'm, like, off early today, we're going to have a family dinner."

"Just the two of us?" Leona frowned.

"Yes."

 _"What a nice family dinner,"_ she thought.

 **oOo**

After three hours of staring at those tiny words on the computer screen, Emil decided that he had had enough. He shut his eyes and rubbed his temples. He loosened his tie and laid his head on the desk where documents piled up like mountains and engulfed his vision. His brain was shutting down every minute. He could see nothing but stars. He took a nap for around thirty minutes before a hand slammed his desk.

"Stop slacking off," Leon said, putting down a mug next to his head. Emil sat up and yawned, his dark circles more visible than ever on his pale, translucent skin.

"I'm freaking tired," Emil grumbled. He never cared with the language since he knew Leon wouldn't mind.

"Mr. Steilsson," Leon faked a serious tone and stared down at him, "if you keep falling asleep during work, I'm afraid I'll, like, have to fire you."

"Great!" Emil beamed and bounced up. All the energy and spirits seemed to have returned in a flash. "When are you gonna fire me?"

"Just kidding." Leon laughed and patted his back. "The contract is a year long. Don't you, like, forget."

Emil grunted and slumped back down on his chair. Leon always had a way to send him to heaven and then kick him down the abyss in a second flat. The Asian winked at him and walked back to his own enormous office.

Emil took a sip of the hot tea Leon left him. Too sweet for his taste. Leon loved to pour lots of milk in it. He shook his head and started typing the remaining part of the report.

It was eight-thirty when he finished the report. Emil printed out the proofread version and stapled the stack of paper. He rubbed his exhausted eyes and went out of his small office. Most of his colleagues had either headed out for dinner before coming back to follow up their work or went home. Emil knocked on Leon's glass door, but the man inside didn't hear it. He had his back facing Emil and a phone held to his right ear, his left hand on his hip.

Emil stood close to the door. Oblivious to his presence, Leon continued talking to his husband on phone.

"Please, can I see Soo Jin on her birthday?" From the other end of the line came a begging voice. "We haven't seen each other for a long time da-ze!"

"No," Leon said promptly. "I'm not, like, allowing you to see her anymore. She's staying with me. Have you filled in the documents?"

"But Leon! I don't want a divorce!" Yong Soo whined. "You know it's never the best solution da-ze. I still love you and Soo Jin."

"For the last time, Yong Soo, I'm, like, telling you, her name is Leona, not Soo Jin."

"Leon, I've already cleared my debts and found a decent job! Can we go back to living together? Please?"

Leon frowned. He looked out of the glass windows. The lights from those densely-packed buildings and skyscrapers formed a stunning painting of glittering dots and lines. Three years ago, they peered down at the same picture from the mountain. It was a cold night. They were trapped in a hut on the hill because of a snowstorm. Leon remembered smacking Yong Soo's head and scolding him for suggesting family camping without caring to check the weather. Leona had fun running around building snowmen though.

"I'm not lying…" Yong Soo said. "I really did clear my debts…I'm now working at Alfred's company…The pay is good. And I've quit gambling…and even drinking! I'm getting much better, believe me da-ze!"

Leon stayed quiet and thoughtful for a moment.

"You know…I really wanna fix all the times I've made you upset…" It was clear that Yong Soo was sobbing. "Why won't you give me a second chance?"

"I've given you too many chances," Leon said. It was not like he never tried to keep this family intact but at times he believed he had been too merciful.

"She wants to see me," Yong Soo said. "And I've already prepared her gift da-ze! Can we meet up? At least, let me see her. Even an hour is fine. I just wanna let her know that her appa still remembers her birthday and cares about her."

Leon sighed and leant his forehead against the glass.

"I miss you. Both of you…"

"I'll think about it," Leon eventually said.

"Really?" Yong Soo exclaimed mirthfully. "Oh please, call me back."

"Right."

"Salanghae." **_(I love you)_**

"Bye," Leon muttered and hung up. He slid his phone back into his pocket.

Emil knocked on the door. Leon turned around and beckoned to him. Emil nodded and entered the office.

"Sorry to interrupt," Emil said. "Here's the report."

"Put it on the desk," Leon ordered.

"Is everything okay?" Emil asked, noticing that Leon hadn't switched on the lights in his room. For someone who couldn't endure darkness, it was rather unusual.

"Yea," Leon said with a faint smile.

 **oOo**

Leon never liked to drop by his parents' place. Whenever Yao saw him, he would want him to stay for dinner and what followed was usually a long, aching conversation or worse, a pointless lecture. Both his parents were in their forties but thanks to the success of the cosmetic industry, they managed to retain their youthful appearances and suppress the curse of aging. Arthur was a handsome British man with messy blond hair and green eyes. He had a pair of exceptionally thick brows that resembled two caterpillars and which Leon had unfortunately inherited. His major hobbies included finding things to complain and picking on others' flaws. Yao was a feminine Chinese man with long, black hair he tied in a ponytail. In all his life, he had been mistaken for a girl for four thousand times. It didn't help that he had a morbid obsession with girly stuff like plushies and dolls. Due to work, Leon had no choice but let his eccentric parents take care of Leona. He tried to minimise his contact with them but usually, Yao would drag him into their apartment and started nagging him.

Today was no exception. Yao pulled Leon into their house because Leona had locked herself in a bedroom sulking.

"What's going on?" Leon looked at Arthur and Yao accusingly, as if looking after his daughter and pleasing her had become their responsibility.

"Isn't it obvious?" Arthur said. "She's upset."

"What have you two, like, done?" Leon interrogated.

"Leon, can we talk for a moment?" Yao said solemnly. He dragged Leon to the dining table. Leon reluctantly sat down and crossed his arms.

"What's it?"

"She's stressed," Yao said. "You're pushing her too far."

"What?"

"Look, champ, you're forcing her to take classes she hates," Arthur said. "Why do you insist that she must rank first in class?"

Leon frowned. It was funny how Arthur put it as if it was his entire fault.

"I just want her to aim higher," Leon said expressionlessly. "She can, like, do so much better."

Arthur sighed.

"When you were young, I always told you that it was meaningless if you didn't rank first. But I was wrong. I wasn't supposed to pressure you so much. You should give her more freedom and let her do things she wants."

"You never let me do what I wanted when I, like, stayed at your place," Leon pinpointed.

Arthur looked at his son bitterly.

"Leon, her birthday is coming up," Yao said. "Are you…going to do anything about it?"

"Sure, I've already prepared her present," Leon said and shrugged. "If she wants a party, I can throw her one."

"No… I mean…how's it going between you and Yong Soo?"

"Things are good," Leon said. "We're trying to settle it. He still refuses to sign the divorce documents."

"Are you…sure this is the only way out?" Yao asked worriedly. "How about Leona? Does she know this?"

"She doesn't, like, need to know," Leon said. "And of course, I'll have her custody."

Arthur and Yao exchanged a look.

"Don't you think it's better for you two to make up and stay together?" Yao said, shaking his head in dismay. "If Yong Soo doesn't want a divorce, it's obvious that he realises his mistake and he still cherishes this family."

"I'm not taking that risk," Leon said.

"Leon," Arthur cleared his throat, "we just want you to think more carefully and make a wise choice."

"What? Like the choice you made?" Leon quipped.

He didn't even want to mention their contemptible past. Arthur had an affair with a French colleague when Leon was barely five. Yao couldn't take it and resort to his ex-boyfriend. In those days, Leon came home from school every day just to see his parents argue and toss things at each other. One by one, the furniture in their house shattered and disappeared. Sometimes, Arthur returned drunk and beat Yao. They fought. They bawled at each other. They got so loud the police had to intervene. Leon would hide in his closet at night, cried his eyes out and wailed until his throat went dry. Yao fell into depression and got hooked on opium. The family eventually fell apart. Arthur filed for divorce and forcibly took his son away. Leon only saw Yao again after ten years and at that point he was already in high school. The year his parents decided to get back together, he and Yong Soo started dating.

"It…was never the best one," Arthur admitted remorsefully.

"But…we did sort things out in the end," Yao added with a painful smile. He wanted everything to turn out alright for his son. He didn't want him to end up the way he and Arthur had. It was unfair. He and Yong Soo deserved so much better.

"I can tell," Leon remarked sarcastically and stood up. "I'm, like, going to get Leona home."

He turned away from his parents and walked out of the kitchen.

"Leon," Arthur called out. The younger man stopped but didn't look back.

"We're sorry. We know we ruined your childhood," the blond said with agony in his voice. "But you have no right to ruin hers."

Leon only snorted and walked upstairs.

 **oOo**

Leona's room was decorated in lavender wallpapers. Rose of Sharon scattered across the wall. Her dad liked crimson, but her appa liked purple. And those flowers were painted by her appa when they first moved into this house.

The girl scanned her writing. Content with her essay, she closed the exercise book. The clock on her study desk read 22:00. She checked her phone, glad that her friends were still texting her despite Leon's threat. She replied their texts and bounced onto the bed. She hugged Xiang and gave the furry toy a kiss on the head. She patted her little companion and started typing on her phone.

When Leon entered the room, the girl was hiding under the blanket.

"Appa, I wanna see you! When can I see you? Can I come over? I wanna eat the kimchi and sweet fried chicken you make. Dad is forcing me to take lots of classes… I hate them! I wanna play with my friends… I wanna ride on your shoulders. You have to take me to the theme park again and watch dramas with me! Oh and tell me more jokes about-" Leona trailed off and peeked out from the blanket. Leon stood by the door with a frown. The girl gasped and whispered to her phone, "Dad's home. I'll call ya later, appa!"

She hung up and stared glumly at Leon. The man, still wearing his black suit, walked towards his daughter's bed and sat down. Neither of them said anything for minutes. Leon stared at the ground contemplatively. Leona looked at her phone and hugged Xiang tightly.

"Leona, I've got you something," Leon piped up. He pulled out a gift from his suit jacket and handed it to Leona. The girl took the gift and started unwrapping it.

"Seriously?"

She cocked her brows at him.

"What? You don't like it?"

She stared at the Justin Bieber CD in horror. She was so damn sure her appa's K-pop music was a thousand times better than this.

"Don't young girls these days like his music?" Leon scratched his head cluelessly. He made a mental note to remind himself to get back at Emil later.

"Never mind," Leon said and put aside the CD. He smiled at Leona and ruffled her hair. "Tell me what you want. I'll, like, buy it for you. Even if you, like, want a pony or a car, that's fine. Just name it."

Leona blinked at her dad and leant forward.

"Can I see appa?" she said. "I miss him."

Leon's smile faded. He furrowed his brows and stared into his daughter's imploring eyes.

"I'm afraid not."

"Why?"

"Because…" Leon sighed and averted his gaze. "You see, your appa and I are having some problems…We have to, like, fix these problems between us. For the time being, it's, like, better for us to stay separated."

"What problems?" the girl asked.

"Problems that children wouldn't understand," Leon said. He stroked her hair and smiled. "Why don't you, like, tell me what you want? A new toy? A new cell phone? Or-"

"I want nothing but to see appa," the girl insisted. "I want to see appa."

"Leona!"

"Appa will never shout at me," she said, her eyes brimming with tears. "He will never force me to learn those stupid things. He will let me hang out with my friends. He will make me laugh. I want to live with appa! I'm going to his place on my own!"

"Stop it, Leona!" Leon shouted furiously. "Stop being so stubborn!"

The girl burst into tears and tossed her precious panda at him.

 **oOo**

Emil knew it wasn't the best time to ask for a vacation, but since Lukas had asked so nicely, he decided to confront Leon.

His boss was in the worst possible mood. He slouched in his chair, seemingly lost in a daze. He didn't even blink when Emil walked up to him.

"Leon." Emil coughed and placed a letter on the desk. "I want to take a few days off."

Leon didn't respond. He was still staring at the wall hollowly.

"Leon?"

Emil waved his hands at Leon. The Asian blinked. His eyes finally focused on Emil.

"What?"

"I want to take a few days off," Emil repeated.

"Huh?"

"It's written on the contract that I get permitted to have ten holidays a year," Emil said. "I've already finished this week's work."

Leon looked at him in puzzlement. He then took the letter and glanced at it for a long moment. It was the first time Emil saw him this distraught. He crossed his fingers and started betting on his luck.

"What're you going to do?"

"My brother called yesterday," Emil said. "He's got a break from the military. He wants me to go back home for a few days."

Leon nodded. Surprisingly, he didn't reject Emil's application. However, after signing approval on his form, Leon glared at the silver-haired boy and stood up abruptly.

"Damn it, Emil," Leon snarled and grabbed Emil's collar. Emil gasped. His heart skipped a beat when Leon leant in so close their noses almost collided with each other. "You fucking suggested I buy that stupid CD! She hates Justin Bieber! She even said Yong Soo's goddamn music is better than that!"

Emil resisted the urge to laugh. Leon's frustrated face was completely priceless. His cheeks were burning red. The vein on his forehead almost popped out. His gaze pierced right into Emil's amethyst orbs.

"Well…you asked me what girls like nowadays," Emil explained, "so I looked up the internet. That's what they say online…"

"A bunch of crap, that is," Leon growled and released Emil. He stomped back to his desk and cursed. "She wouldn't, like, stop whining about it. And I, like, asked her what she wanted, she started throwing a tantrum. Geez, I've given her everything. The best education. The best house in the town. The best luxuries. That brat is just never grateful."

Emil scowled.

"Leon." He knew he was in no place to lecture him, but Leon was just as downright obstinate as his daughter. "Have you ever asked what she really wants?"

"What?"

"What she genuinely wants," Emil elaborated. "When I babysat her last week, she told me everyone went to the school festival with their parents. She got many awards that day and had to give a speech."

"I know," Leon said. "I didn't go that day but I asked someone to videotape the whole ceremony. She didn't even, like, get to finish the speech."

"She stopped halfway because she realised that you and Yong Soo weren't there."

Emil took the signed form from Leon and folded it neatly. He looked back at his boss and said, "You know, there's something you can't buy with money."

With that, he walked out of the office.

* * *

 **A/N:I honestly don't think I should start another new story without finishing the existing ones but it's just so, so, so tempting. That's one of the reasons why I always want to avoid going to the cinema. Whenever I watch a film, I get impulsive and want to start a new story. So pathetic.**  
 **I have no idea how this is gonna go. It might turn out really stupid or crappy but seriously I just write what comes into my mind. Sorry if this is bad :( Should I even continue this?**


	2. Chapter 2

Leon had always thought he was working hard for the family. But all this time, he was only fooling himself.

 _"_ _You only see yourself in your eyes da-ze."_

That was what Yong Soo said after their fight. He forcibly kicked the Korean out of the house and slammed the door on his crying face. They did not realise that Leona was awake in her bedroom, cowering in one corner with her stuffed panda and taking in every single detail of her parents' argument.

The night ended with heavy rain. Yong Soo didn't come back, or rather, Leon never let him return. It had been a year. Leon always believed he had made the wisest choice. And it was for the sake of their daughter.

But what did he know about her?

Nothing. Practically nothing.

Except the fact that this was no longer a home she wished to stay in.

After Emil left, Leon made a call to his secretary. He called off all the meetings in the next few days and assigned his remaining works to some of his subordinates. He dialled Yong Soo's number. The man was more than elated to answer right away.

"Let's meet up tomorrow," Leon said monotonously. "It's her birthday."

"Really?" There was a beam of excitement and bewilderment in Yong Soo's voice. "Are you really doing that?"

"Yes," Leon replied. "Do you, like, want to see her or not. Answer before I, like, change my mind."

"Of course I want to see you both da-ze!" Yong Soo exclaimed instantly, nearly shouting into the mouthpiece. Leon winced slightly and held the phone away from his ear. "I can come! Where should we meet? What're we gonna do?"

"I'll, like, leave you to plan for tomorrow's activities," Leon said. "You said you've already prepared her a gift."

"Oh yes, I have!" Yong Soo said proudly.

"Good, what time will you, like, be here?"

"I can do with nine da-ze! Will catch the midnight train!"

"Cool." Leon nodded. "We'll, like, go to the train station. See ya."

"See you and Soo Jin da-ze!"

Leon hung up and tucked his phone back into his pocket. He leant back in his chair. His eyes fell on the photo frame on his desk. The girl in the picture stared back at him with a faint, innocent smile. The man holding her had the widest grin on his face. They looked so blissful Leon found it hard to connect with them. He felt distant. It was like he was the third person in this family. They were separated by an invisible barrier. He traced his fingers along the frame. Since when had he forgotten the two most important things in his life. He sighed.

Leona was delighted to say the least. When Leon told her that they would be meeting her appa the next day, she smiled brightly and hugged his waist. She bounced around with Xiang and ate an extra big bowl of rice that night. He had never seen her this energetic before. Ever since Yong Soo left the house, she hardly smiled around Leon's presence. During the first few weeks, she got so terrified she had to avoid Leon, fearing that he might bawl at her the same way he did to Yong Soo. She wouldn't counter anything he said. She kept her head down all the time. To cheer her up, he bought her things. It seemed to work for a while. When she received new trinkets, snacks and books, her face would light up, but not for long. There was a puzzle Yong Soo had been helping her to finish. It was abandoned in the closet. Never complete.

"We'll see appa tomorrow, right? Right?" The girl tugged at her dad's sleeve repeatedly, so desperate for a confirmation.

Leon bent down and smiled at her. "Yes."

"And then we'll live together again?"

"Um…" Leon frowned and scratched his head. "About that…"

"Don't you love appa anymore?" she blurted out. He stared at her in astonishment. She stared back earnestly. He decided that he could never give her a decent answer without digging his own heart out. He asked her to go to bed, but she was so excited she couldn't sleep.

If getting back together was all it took to mend the broken glass, he could seriously give it a shot.

But when a glass was broken, no matter how much glue he used to stick the pieces back, the cracks were still there.

He walked back into his room, which was far too spacious for one occupant. Even for two people, the bed was way too big. It was always cold and dark at night. When Yong Soo left, he started sleeping with the lights on. It was never comfortable, but without someone breathing next to him or draping his arm around him protectively, he could never doze off in peace. The empty space beside him was stuffed with pillows. His wardrobe no longer showed an array of colours. There were only black, white and red. He walked out to the balcony and for the first time in the year, he realised what it meant by solitude. Peering down at the night view could be so painful when the breeze only hit one person and when there were no arms to wrap around his shivering body. No hot breaths on his neck. No kisses on his cheeks. He had been drowning himself in endless works. Money was a splendid distraction. An indicator of success. That's what he needed to convince himself that his life wasn't so messed up. No, he was perfectly fine. He could manage without Yong Soo. He could afford the best for Leona.

But no, there was always a gap in his chest that ached whenever he took a long drag of the cigarette alone on the balcony. It ached because there was no one there to steal his cigarette or to scold him that smoking too much was harmful to his health and that sex was obviously a better way to relieve stress. It so ached because no one would ambush him and grope his chest on daily basis, crack the silliest jokes on earth and still bother with cheesy pick-up lines even though they had been married for ten years.

He went back to his empty, cold bed. The last thing he saw before he fell asleep was Yong Soo's face.

The shaking occurred in the middle of the night. The ground quaked slightly, enough to wake Leon. Leona's shriek followed. He leapt out of bed and dashed into her bedroom. He switched on all the lights. She was trembling in her bed. He quickly ran to hold her. The shaking subsisted for a few minutes and then all was still. The night was tranquil again.

"Wh-What's that?" Leona panted, clinging to her dad tightly.

"Probably a minor earthquake." He stroked her back gently. "It's, like, okay now."

She nodded. He stayed until she fell back asleep.

The next morning, Leon woke up at seven. His phone vibrated. Yong Soo sent in a text claiming he had already boarded the train from Town K. Leon didn't reply him. He went to the windows and drew the curtains. The neighbourhood was drop dead quiet. Or maybe it was too early. He couldn't see the motorbike the milkman usually parked around the corner or the van that their usual postman came around in.

Leon woke his daughter and they ate breakfast in silence. After getting ready for the trip, they walked out of the cottage. Leon went to the back of the house to retrieve his car but all he found was an enormous hole in his garage door. There were glass shards all over the ground. It looked like another vehicle had crashed into their garage and left.

"What the hell?" he cursed and went into the garage. His beautiful black car was dented.

"Dad? What's going on?" the girl asked.

Leon frowned at the damage. He ran out of the garage and back to the front door.

"Get back into the house," he ordered.

"Aren't we going-"

"Yes, get back inside first," Leon urged. The girl complied. Leon made a call to Emil, who just happened to be sleeping. The poor boy woke up immediately after Leon flooded his phone with a hundred texts. It wouldn't stop vibrating.

"Seriously, what the hell is wrong with you?" he growled into the phone.

"My garage, like, got blasted," Leon said urgently. "I, like, need your car now."

"What?"

"You have to, like, drive us to the train station."

"Wait-"

Leon hung up. Emil dropped his phone. He nearly screamed. He stormed out of his bedroom. His face had never been this red.

When Emil arrived with his car, he rolled down the side window and glared at Leon furiously.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" he shouted. "It's my holiday! And I'm going to see Lukas today!"

"Well, your brother can wait," Leon said nonchalantly and led Leona into Emil's car. He took the front seat and smirked at Emil. "Train station please."

"Why do I have to be your personal car driver?" Emil croaked. "It was never specified on the contract!"

"Well, it is now," Leon said smugly and patted Emil's back. "Come on, the girl wanna, like, see her appa. He'll be at the train station."

Emil glimpsed Leona in the back seat. The girl stuck out her tongue at him. He grunted.

"No way. Get out of my car. Now."

"I'll pay you double," Leon said.

Emil narrowed his eyes at him.

"Annual bonus."

"Fine," he said and rolled his eyes.

The drive to the station was an hour long. The streets were exceptionally quiet and vacant. They paid no mind to it at first. Halfway through their journey, Leona said that she wanted to go to the toilet. Leon made Emil stop the car near a convenience store. He hopped out of the car with Leona. They walked into the store. The door opened automatically to reveal no one. Leon scanned around suspiciously. Leona swung her hand out of his palm and ran for the toilet. When Leona came out of the stall, there was a woman near the sink. She was hobbling. Leona stared at her. The woman began to pant and groan loudly. The girl widened her eyes and stumbled back as soon as those visible veins spread across the woman's thighs and legs like tree branches. Purple blotches and grey marks scattered across her pale skin. When the woman spun around, her eyes were wide. The colours of the pupils had vanished. In replacement, there were two hollow, white orbs. The woman opened her mouth and made a shrill, monstrous sound. Her face was drenched in blood and sweat.

Leon grabbed some snacks and three bottles of drinks. He made it to the counter only to find it empty. He put down the items on the desk and checked each aisle. He reached the last one and saw a disfigured body couching in one corner. The body was convulsing and groaning. Leon frowned and walked slowly towards what seemed to be a high school boy. The boy suddenly leapt up and opened his mouth, revealing his bloody teeth. The veins on his face popped out. His face was ashen and one of his eyes was missing, leaving a large, crimson socket. He let out an inhuman growl and lunged at Leon. Leon dodged and kicked him hard in the stomach, sending the creature flying back against the wall. Just then, Leona screamed.

Leon dashed into the toilet and swept his daughter off the ground. The hideous woman growled and sped towards them. Leon rushed out of the toilet and slammed the door on her. The previous boy got back up from the ground and looked towards their direction, his remaining eye rolling.

Leon made a run for the exit. Once they were out of the store, he gasped. Two people with pasty faces and distorted limbs stumbled towards them. One of them was missing an arm. The tendons and bones were hanging out. The other was missing parts of his skull. The brain stuck out in a juicy mess. Their eyes were filled with milky-white substance.

"Leon!" Emil shouted. Leon held the girl tightly and ran towards the car. He tossed Leona in and locked the car door.

"Holy shit, what the hell is that?" Emil gasped. More and more people came into sight. They stepped out of stores, malls, houses and parks. All of them were limping and groaning, heading towards them.

"Drive!" Leon yelped. Emil started the car right away. They drove away from the area. As they passed more houses, they started seeing more people. The streets were now filled with people and cars running in all different directions. Some people raced out of the house and got chased down by those "creatures". Some were crying and screaming for help. Blood sputtered everywhere. Cars crashed into one another and exploded. Emil stopped the car abruptly before it slammed straight into a woman. The woman turned to glare at them. She screamed when someone bounced on her from behind and bit off a large patch of her skin.

Emil drove backwards in panic and then accelerated forward. The car rolled over the woman and sped away. He didn't dare stop as more horrendous images came into sight.

"What's going on?" Emil cried.

Leon couldn't reply him. He, too, was so astounded he couldn't speak. He checked Leona in the backseat. The girl was wailing. Leon climbed to the back and hugged her, blocking her view.

"Emil! Like, turn on the radio!" Leon shouted.

Emil did as told. He turned up the volume. A voice started reporting.

"A riot broke out in the southern area in Town H this morning. A group of people started attacking citizens and destroying residential buildings. Police have been dispatched to suppress the riot, but the participants have been increasing drastically. Currently, the government is undertaking measures to-"

The line went dead.

"Oh no," Emil said.

"It's definitely not a riot," Leon said, checking his phone desperately. He had seen those dreadful eyes. They couldn't have belonged to any living beings. Those groans were feral, like the animals in the wilderness, or worse. The way they lunged at them was out of pure thirst. There were already tons of news updates on the internet, all concerning the peculiar violent incidents in the city. He caught the word "zombie" in several posts.

"What the hell are they?" Emil asked.

"I…don't know," Leon said, glancing out of the windows nervously. They passed a few neighbourhoods and saw no one. Once they turned around the corner and drove into the main road, screams and blood filled the place.

Leon covered Leona's eyes and stared in horror at the outbreak outside. People were attacking, biting and tearing one another apart. Once bitten, the victim would collapse, squirm and convulse in excruciating agony before veins popped on their limbs and their eyes turned white.

"Leon! Where should we go now?" Emil asked, close to breaking down.

Leon frowned. His phone vibrated.

"Yong Soo?" he shouted into the phone. "Yong Soo! Where're you?"

"Huh? Leon? Why aren't you at the station? What's going on da-ze? I've already arrived."

Yong Soo sounded fairly composed. Leon assumed that he was safe. He peeked out of the window again.

"Yong Soo, is there, like, something going on in the station?" Leon asked. "Do you see any…anything strange?"

"Like what?"

"Like crazy people attacking others!" Leon yelled. "Yong Soo! Answer me!"

"No…what…are you talking about?" Yong Soo said. "Leon, are you alright da-ze? Where are you and Soo Jin?"

Leon looked ahead. They were now on the highway. Fifteen minutes till they reached the station.

"Something…something's going on here," Leon stuttered, his hand shaking. Emil shot him a perplexed look through the rear-view mirror. "People…Some people have gone insane…They're, like, biting and killing one another…Shit, Yong Soo, stay where you are and don't get bitten! Find somewhere to hide! We'll be there soon!"

"Bitten? What do you mean?"

"Just look out for any strange people! If they're, like, groaning and lunging towards you, run! Don't get caught by them!" Leon shouted. "We're now-"

The tyres screeched as Emil attempted an abrupt turn to avoid an approaching truck. They got tossed backwards. Leon dropped the phone. Emil braked hard. The car successfully missed the wall. The truck flew past them dangerously and crashed into a tree with a thunderous explosion.

Emil shuddered. His face was as pale as a sheet. Leon climbed back to the front seat and swapped places with Emil.

"I'll drive." Leon took over the wheel. "You take care of Leona."

Emil, barely able to talk, could only nod and climb to the back. Leona clutched her panda tightly and sobbed. Emil wrapped an arm around her comfortingly, although his mind was close to implosion itself.

The engine sprang back to life. They started speeding towards the train station.

"Please, be safe, Yong Soo," Leon mumbled.

Leon's phone started ringing. Emil bent down to pick it up. The car rolled over something rough. The gadget slipped out of Emil's hand. He nearly crashed his head onto the door. Leon turned the steering wheel abruptly. A police car struck them from behind with a loud rumble, tossing all of them forward. Emil whipped around. The officer in the driver's seat struggled with the wheel and let out a horrifying scream. A creature bit his neck hard and dragged him to the back seat. Blood splattered onto the windshield. Leon turned the car and drove into the fast lane. A bus came rolling downhill. The vehicle was on fire. Smoke and soot shot out of the ruined frame. People stuck their heads of the windows and waved their barely unscathed limbs. Blood rained down from the sky.

The bus dashed towards them at full speed. Leon cursed and turned the car back to the normal lane, not foreseeing a jeep speeding in the opposite direction. The car steered away from the track and spun several times. It hit a lamp post and flew back. Another van came towards their direction and struck them on the left, sending them flying towards a tree. The car drifted on the ground. The window beside Leon shattered. The shards pierced into his arm. He winced and braked the car before it hit the concrete. Smoke came out from the back of their car.

"Are you two, like, okay?" Leon turned around to check on the other two, relieved to find them both unharmed. Emil, holding the girl in his arms to shield her, nodded.

"Good." Leon wheezed. He peeped at his arm. He plucked out the shard and held his gash.

 ** _THUD._**

Leona screeched as pairs of bloody hands slapped the car windows forcibly. They were surrounded by several groaning creatures. A woman with missing teeth and a smashed cheek leapt through the broken window and grabbed Leon's elbow. Leon punched her and smacked her face with his bag. Blood oozed out from her wound, exposing her flesh and jaw. Leona covered her eyes and wept. Leon quickly unbuckled his seatbelt and slid to the next seat. He tried to block the incoming creatures with his bag and kicked them out of the broken window. Emil looked around in sheer terror.

Cracks appeared on the windshield and the window next to Emil. A creature gripped Leon's leg and opened his mouth.

 ** _BANG._**

A sudden gunshot pierced the air. The creature fell dead on the ground. Others groaned loudly and stepped slowly away from the car. They dashed towards another direction. Several police officers stood outside the train station firing at distant targets. A horde of things limped towards them. They loaded their guns and shot them in the head.

"Now!" Leon instructed. He hopped out of the car and went to get Leona out. Emil followed them out of the car. They raced towards the train station, squeezing through narrow gaps between crashed cars and avoiding the corpses on the ground. A teenage girl bounced onto Emil from one side and tackled him to the ground. Emil cried and shoved her off. She pinned him down and roared, her gum filled with blood. Her face was skinned. Her cheekbones lay bare in sight. Emil had never seen a more hideous sight than the dripping blood and the raw flesh that reeked of rotten meat. Leon kicked her hard. She fell on the ground. He kept trampling on her head and crushing her skull. Another creature lunged towards them. A part of his waist was missing and some of his intestines hung out of the skeleton. Leon shielded them and delivered a round kick to his hip. The creature stumbled back and groaned. Leon jumped and kicked him in the stomach, successfully snapping his body into half. Emil spun around to see a creature with bulging eyes and a broken skull, followed by a couple more.

"Emil, run to the station!" Leon shouted. "I'll, like, catch up with ya!"

"But-"

"NOW!"

Emil took Leona's hand and ran. The girl pulled his hand and cried, "We need to wait for Dad!"

Emil looked back to see Leon struggling to fight off a couple of creatures. He peeked at the station a few meters away.

"Don't stop, Emil!" Leon cried.

Leona's tears soaked his sleeves. Emil decided to head for the station. He dragged the girl towards the entrance. Halfway there, Leona dropped Xiang. She wiggled out of Emil's grip to pick up her toy. A creature jumped towards her. Emil yelled and shoved the hysterical being away. The creature bounced back agilely and sprang at Emil. Emil wrapped his arms around Leona and shut his eyes, bracing himself for the bite.

A man in a white T-shirt and a pair of black jeans hit the creature with a baseball bat. The creature groaned as his bone fractured. The man walloped the creature repeatedly and trod on his body. Emil opened his eyes.

 _Everything originated in Korea._

Those words painted on the T-shirt were big and clear. He glanced up at Yong Soo, who finished the creature off with a fatal strike that snapped his neck into two. Yong Soo looked back at Emil and smiled.

"Man, that was a close one da-ze!" he said. "Please cover her eyes and take her to platform 3!"

It took Emil a minute to react. Yong Soo pointed to the stairs leading up to platform 3. Gunshots echoed loudly in the station. More police officers had arrived to guard the entrance.

"Move your ass, Emil!" Yong Soo shouted.

Emil, still thunderstruck, nodded quickly and picked up Leona. Yong Soo took the opposite direction and raced towards Leon. A creature hooked his legs around Leon's waist. He squirmed and attempted to swing him off. The creature's mouth latched onto Leon's nape. Before his teeth could dive deep into Leon's flesh, Yong Soo yanked the creature's hair ruthlessly and with one forceful pull, he sent the creature to the ground. He gave another approaching creature a side kick. Leon tackled the other two groaning monsters with punches and kicks.

"Here," Yong Soo shouted and gave Leon his bat. Leon hit a creature with it and successfully dislodged her jaw. A police officer shot down the remaining creatures surrounding them. Yong Soo turned to check on his partner. Leon panted and glanced back at Yong Soo. His dress shirt was drenched in blood, his wrists covered in bruises and cuts. Tears filled his eyes as soon as Yong Soo gave him a wide, reassuring grin.

"Hey, are you okay?" Yong Soo asked. He dashed forward to hug him.

Leon couldn't speak. He swallowed his tears and burrowed his face into the other's shoulder. For a brief second, when that creature captured and nearly bit him, he thought he would end right there. He thought he would never see Emil or Leona again. He thought the station was sabotaged. He thought he had lost him.

"I thought you, like, died…" he trailed off. Tears streamed down his face. He never knew it would hurt this much. The mere thought of it was unbearable. He thought he would never live to see him smile again.

"I don't die easily da-ze!" Yong Soo giggled and hugged him tightly. "Stop cursing me already."

He brushed away Leon's wet bangs and planted a chaste kiss on his forehead. He chuckled and grabbed his hand.

"Come on, let's go!"

They ran into the station. Emil was waiting on platform 3 with Leona. Once they spotted Leon and Yong Soo, Leona ran towards her parents.

"Appa!" she cried out. Yong Soo picked her up and kissed her head. The girl was sobbing and shivering badly. Yong Soo stroked her back to comfort her. The train was slowly departing. People were rushing frantically onto it. A horde of creatures made their way upstairs and towards the leaving train.

They got on the train quickly and shut the door. The train accelerated and left the platform. The horde jumped down to the rails and started chasing after them, but they couldn't catch up with the speeding train.

Emil and Leon stepped into the empty compartment first. They didn't see a creature lurking in one corner. When he suddenly jumped out at Emil, he recoiled and hit Leon. They both lost their balance and landed on the ground. Yong Soo, still standing near the door with Leona in his arms, couldn't reach them in time. The creature bounced onto Emil. Leon shoved Emil to the left and rolled to the other side himself. The creature hit the ground and drew a long, gruesome groan. Another creature jumped down from the luggage rack.

"Look out!"

A young man with white hair and ruby eyes shot the two creatures with a pistol. Yong Soo put Leona down on the ground and rushed to help Leon up. The man pulled Emil up.

"Are you okay?" he asked Emil.

"Yea, thanks," Emil muttered.

"Cool." The man nodded.

"Wow, you, like, have a gun?" Leon blinked incredulously.

"You never know when this shit happens," the man said. "I always keep one at home. These monsters crashed in this morning."

"Gilbert?"

A pregnant woman with long, brown hair and green eyes stepped into the compartment. She was dressed in a folk dress with a flowery band on her head. She put a hand on her small bump.

"Liz! I told you to stay in there with the others!" The man called Gilbert rushed to lead his wife back to the other compartment. "It's dangerous!"

The woman shot him a glare and smacked him upside the head. "And you don't wander off either. I swear to God if my child is born without a dad, I'll curse you even when you're in hell."

"You're so cruel," Gilbert whined and rubbed the lump on his head. "Now, go back and sit down. I'll handle the rest."

"Who're they?" The woman peeked over Gilbert's shoulder and beamed when she realised there were more survivors. "Oh, you guys are alive! You should come with us!" She pushed through Gilbert and dashed towards the others.

"I'm Elizabeta, but you can call me Liz," she introduced herself and gestured for them to follow her. "Come. The compartment in the front is safe."

Yong Soo, Leon and Emil exchanged a few glances. They followed Gilbert and Elizabeta out of their current compartment and headed towards the front. They entered the front section and locked the door behind them. The compartment was half-full. People were chattering and looking around nervously. Many were checking their phones for news updates. A lot of them were staring out of the window.

"So, do you guys have any idea what's going on?" Gilbert asked them.

"No," Leon said, shaking his head.

"They say there's a riot," Elizabeta said.

"Man, those are obviously zombies da-ze!" Yong Soo exclaimed.

"Zombies?" Gilbert raised his brows. "For real?"

"They look insane," Leon said. "It's, like, they're infected or something."

"This is bad," Gilbert said.

"Where's this train heading to?" Emil asked, glimpsing the window apprehensively.

"Town I," Gilbert replied. "I believe it's safe there."

"The news keep reporting it's a riot," Elizabeta said, looking up from her phone. "A lot of police are holding them down. They're basically shooting everyone, oh God."

"Well, you guys are lucky," Gilbert said. "Our neighbours all got bitten."

Leon took Leona from Yong Soo and placed her on a seat. However, instead of sitting down herself, Leona went to take Elizabeta's hand.

"You should sit," she said.

Elizabeta smiled down at the girl and patted her head. "Why, aren't you a sweet child?"

She grinned at Leon. "Your sister?"

"No, my daughter," Leon answered curtly. "Come back here, Leona."

"She looks exactly like you."

"Like, get that a lot."

"Hey, I contributed too da-ze!"

Leon rolled his eyes and pinched Yong Soo. Elizabeta laughed and held Leona's hand. She took the window seat. The girl settled down next to her.

"What're we gonna do?" Emil asked.

"I have a friend in Town I," Gilbert said. "We can seek sanctuary at his place."

"Do you, like, think Town I is also, you know, invaded?" Leon asked.

"No idea," Gilbert said. "I'll make a call to my friend now. Be right back."

Gilbert went away to one corner and took out his smart phone.

"We're doomed! We're all gonna die!" yelled a man in the front row. He jumped up on his seat and waved his hands in the air. "Town H is ruined! They're coming!"

People started panicking and talking loudly. Some of them got up and gasped. Some continued to play the news on their phones.

"L-Leon? Yong Soo?" a quivering voice muttered.

Leon and Yong Soo looked up at the petite, dark-haired girl. She wore a peach-coloured dress with a matching flower clip attached to her rather messy side bangs. Leon stood up immediately recognising his half-sister.

Mei leapt at him and hugged him. Following behind was a short man with black hair and dull eyes. He wore a tracksuit and a pair of thick glasses. He looked exhausted and pale, his face devoid of any expressions. His hair was tousled. It was as though he ran out of the house right after he woke up. He only nodded at Yong Soo.

"Kiku? You're here too?"

"Hai," Kiku said.

"Kiku, you know something?" Leon asked, frowning slightly at his brother-in-law. Kiku was the current owner of Honda Technology Ltd., also the company Leon had been funding and investing in. Kiku looked away. Leon's frown deepened. He stomped towards Kiku and grabbed his collar.

"You, like, clearly know something," he growled.

"It's too late," Kiku said plainly and looked into Leon's eyes. "Kaoru-san, remember the project we talked about earlier?"

"Which one?"

"DrugIM66X."

"What happened?"

They all stared at him. Kiku glanced around. After making sure other passengers couldn't hear him, he lent a bit forward and faced Leon solemnly. He shut his eyes and took a deep breath.

"I want you to be calm about this, Kaoru-san."

"Just say it!" Leon was losing it. He knew something was up. Kiku was trying hard to conceal everything. His mask was crumbling though. His eyes were sunken.

"The drug on immortality…" Kiku stammered. Leon became more distressed. It was rare to see Kiku stutter and shudder. He lowered his head and bit his lip. "The earthquake last night…destroyed one of our labs. Something leaked out. A kind of chemicals…"

Leon's eyes widened.

"I don't know which chemical exactly," Kiku continued. "I lost contact with the workers at the lab. Apparently, they all…well…I believe they have all turned into…those things. They were working on something. It could be a virus. I guess it just…spread when the lab got ruined."

"What?" Yong Soo gulped.

"You're kidding me," Leon said.

"So you're the one at fault!" Gilbert snarled and shook Kiku's shoulder. He pinned him down to the ground. "I know you, Kiku Honda! You mad scientist! You fucking experiment on animals and do all sorts of secret tests! You bribe the politicians and want to take over the world with all those androids you keep inventing!"

Gilbert howled and wrapped his hands around Kiku's neck.

"Gil!" Elizabeta shouted and stood up.

Mei cried. Leon and Yong Soo dove in to pull Gilbert away. Kiku struggled back to his feet and glared at Gilbert. Elizabeta stepped forward to keep her husband away.

"Stop it, Gil!"

"Let me kill that crazy guy! He's putting us all in danger!"

"And why are you here?" Yong Soo interrogated, narrowing his eyes at Kiku, whom he had once treated as a brother until he backstabbed him. "You're running away?"

"We're not!" Mei sobbed and held Kiku's arm. "We got chased down by those things and jumped onto the train…"

"You made this mess and you're leaving?" Yong Soo scowled.

"Gomen'nasai," Kiku mumbled. He stumbled to a seat and flopped down.

"Stop, like, blaming him," Leon said. "He didn't want this to happen either. We're all in trouble."

"Why would you even fund his project?" Yong Soo accused. Leon blinked at his husband in shock.

"What? You, like, think I wanted this to happen too?"

"I don't know," Yong Soo said. "We're talking about a freaking virus, Leon. A freaking virus that turns humans into meat-craving monsters! We're destroying humanity da-ze! This is so serious!"

"You'll have to pay for this!" Gilbert said.

"And you supported him to develop this virus," Yong Soo said. "I can't believe it da-ze."

Leon frowned and clenched his fists.

"Please stop fighting…" Leona jumped down from her seat. She grabbed both her parents' hands and sobbed. "Please."

Leon kneeled down and hugged her. She clutched his shirt and cried.

"She's right," Emil said. "There's no use fighting. It's already happened. We should figure out what to do next."

Yong Soo sighed and kneeled down as well. He hugged both Leon and his daughter.

"I'm sorry da-ze," he muttered.

Elizabeta dragged Gilbert to one corner and managed to talk some sense into him. She whispered something to his ear. The albino man sighed and sat down calmly.

After a long moment of silence, Gilbert said, "I've called my friend. Town I is in quarantine. Everyone's staying home. They can take us in."

He glanced at Kiku and Mei.

"You two can come with us too if you want," he said.

* * *

 **A/N: Um...I don't know what to say about this chapter...but I guess I won't be able to update soon. Gonna get really busy XD I want this story to be angsty and tragic like the movie, so don't expect a really happy ending. I've added a couple of other pairings here- Kiku/Mei, Gilbert/Elizabeta and...two more! By the way, special cookies to anyone who can guess who Gilbert's best friend is! Even more cookies to anyone who can tell who dies first (omg, I'm so cruel~)**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: It's supposed to be a slightly sad chapter but I'm failing. I think there's a lot to the backstory so I kind of included a flashback. There may be more flashbacks in the future XD And I don't know who's still reading this crappy story but I will really appreciate your support :) If you say something, it will make me happy and update faster :D**

* * *

"Does it hurt?" Yong Soo asked. The shard delved deep into the muscle. The slit was long and raw. He ripped off Leon's sleeve.

"What do you, like, think?" Leon quipped and peeked at his wound which was at least inches wide.

"In any case, let's patch you up first," Yong Soo said. He rinsed the wound with some clean water. Blood kept gushing out. He looked around for any possible materials to tie around Leon's wound.

"Use this."

Kiku handed him a roll of bandages. Yong Soo eyed him suspiciously.

"You brought bandages with you?"

"Just in case."

"Seems like you're well-prepared to evade the town," Yong Soo said sarcastically.

"Do you want it or not?"

Yong Soo snatched the bandages from Kiku and started wrapping them around Leon's arm.

"You'll be fine da-ze," he reassured Leon, smiling up at him a bit. Leon remained silent. There were bruises all over his arms and several cuts on his face. He wiped off the blood on his cheek and tucked a few strands of his hair behind his ear.

"We don't have any disinfectant around," Yong Soo said. "But I'm sure that albino guy's friend has some at his place. Will wash your wounds properly when we reach there, okay?"

"It's, like, no big deal," Leon said, moving his bandaged arm a little. If he had to be honest, the wounds stung a lot. They burnt. He sprained his ankle a little during a kick. But he wouldn't admit it ached in front of Yong Soo. Emil rose from his seat and turned around. He glanced at Leon with concern.

"Want some water?" He handed him a bottle of water. Leon took it and guzzled down half of the drink. "Thanks."

"How long does it take to get to the next town?" Emil asked.

"Around four to five hours," Gilbert replied. He looked out of the window with crossed arms. A massive meadow came into sight. The train passed a couple of farms and villages. They were relieved to see cattle lingering normally on the moor and villagers looking seemingly sane.

"You should take a rest," Emil suggested.

Leon, already leaning against the window exhaustedly, nodded. He shut his eyes and sighed. He wanted to believe that this was all just some sort of nightmare. A warm hand suddenly grabbed his shirt. He opened his eyes. Leona blinked at him anxiously. The blood stains on his shirt only made it worse. He felt sorry that her birthday was ruined. It was supposed to be an unforgettable day full of delightful and beautiful memories. He stroked her hair and managed a sad smile.

"Are you in pain?" she asked.

"No," he lied.

"Xiang will make you feel better." She offered him her stuffed panda. He bought it with Yong Soo for her eighth birthday. She had been ecstatic and keeping it around since. He didn't want to taint her toy. She didn't seem to mind though. She put the giant panda in his lap and snuggled in her seat. He wrapped an arm around her and brought her closer. She leant against him and closed her eyes. He fell asleep soon afterwards.

Yong Soo grinned at the heart-warming scene. He took a seat on the other side and sat down next to Emil.

"How do you know my name?" Emil asked.

"What?"

"My name," Emil said. "You said 'move your ass, Emil'."

"Oh." Yong Soo laughed. "You're so cute. Of course I know you. You work for my wife."

Emil cocked his brows in amusement. Did Yong Soo just call Leon his wife? Leon probably wouldn't be pleased. Emil wanted to snicker. Now that he knew who was playing the girl in this relationship, he could tease Leon forever about it.

"Okay, I'll tell the truth," Yong Soo said with a big, silly grin. "Soo Jin mentioned you in our phone talk. She said her dad sent some weird guy to babysit her. I was shocked at first da-ze."

Emil frowned.

"Yea, some weirdo who likes to eat black stuff and talk to birds."

"First off, that's not some black stuff. It's called liquorice." Emil protested, "Secondly, I only talk to one bird and I'm not a weirdo!"

"I can see you're not." Yong Soo sneered, scanning Emil's tousled silvery hair, large amethyst contact lens and pale skin that was smoother than any silk. "You're just girly."

Emil's face went scarlet with that comment. He gritted his teeth and glared at Yong Soo.

"You know what?" Emil said. "Your _wife_ is very girly too."

"He's androgynous." Yong Soo chuckled and then whispered, "But don't let him know this. I don't want a broken nose."

"And he's a real bastard," Emil said. "I swear if I make it out alive this time, I'm suing him for labour exploitation next."

They both laughed.

"Hey."

They both looked up at Elizabeta. She was sitting in front of them with Gilbert. She stood up and turned around.

"Is it true that she's really your daughter?" she asked, her eyes glinting with curiosity.

Yong Soo glimpsed Leona and nodded.

"Duh, can't you see her curl?" Yong Soo pointed to his own flyaway curl. "It's genetic da-ze."

Emil rolled his eyes. Elizabeta giggled.

"No, I mean, you two look so young. It doesn't quite make sense."

"We got married at eighteen," Yong Soo said. "I suppose not many people do that."

"No." Elizabeta chuckled. "But I really do want to know. How did you two…you know…create her?"

Emil stared at the bold woman in bewilderment. Yong Soo only laughed.

"Oh dear, are you by any chance a fujoshi?" He smirked. Elizabeta blushed furiously and fiddled with her fingers.

"You know the drug Kiku's company produces?"

"Yea, I've heard of it. Never really know how it works on homosexual couples."

"And this is another family secret," Yong Soo whispered, making a gesture to zip his lips. "Don't tell anyone I tell you, okay? Leon will beat me to a pulp."

Although Emil would really like to see that happen, he also wanted to know what interesting stuff Yong Soo had to say. So he promised to seal his lips for now. They both leant forward to listen to Yong Soo.

"The thing is, you don't see any pregnant guys on the streets because that's not how the drug works," Yong Soo explained. "It doesn't suddenly plant a womb into a guy's body. Basically, it mutates the physique and turns you into the opposite sex for one year."

Elizabeta gasped.

"So you mean…"

"Yup." Yong Soo nodded with a wide grin. "Leon got turned into a chick. I knocked her up. She had Soo Jin."

"Wow, that's amazing," Elizabeta exclaimed.

Emil made a mental note to himself that this could be another blackmail material. It was simply hilarious to imagine Leon as a girl.

"I thought she's a clone that combines both your genes," Emil said.

Yong Soo rubbed his chin contemplatively. "That's another option. The mainstream one. This drug is a recent invention and Kiku tested the new formula on Leon."

Yong Soo's tone turned serious at once. He glared at the Japanese man a couple of seats away. He was sitting next to his wife. He had his headphones on and was typing something on his silvery laptop.

Elizabeta and Emil exchanged a look.

"Who in the fucking mind would make his family member a testing subject?" Yong Soo asked no one in particular. He leant back in his seat and peeked at Leon, who was sleeping comfortably with Leona in his embrace.

"That's…frightening," Emil said after a long moment of silence. "How did he even manage?"

The idea itself sounded uncanny. He never knew what sort of life Leon had experienced before climbing to his current status. He had always thought Leon was the kind who got everything he wanted ever since he was born. There were no failures or flaws in his life whatsoever. He owned a house, a family, a corporation and a reputation basically anyone at his age could have died yearning for.

"The drug turned out fine," Yong Soo said. "Guess we're lucky, or maybe Kiku would never test a drug he isn't confident about the effects. Anyway, we don't trust him anymore because Leon went into quite a lot of pain due to the side effects. He recovered after Soo Jin was born. We both think she's the greatest gift we could have received."

"Indeed she is," Elizabeta echoed, rubbing her bump gently. She smiled at Yong Soo. "I really do envy you."

"Why?"

"Even though your daughter came to this world in the most unexpected way, it's still a beautiful creation," the woman said. "We've been trying for years to have a child but we never succeeded until now. It's almost been ten years."

"That's a very long time," Emil commented mindlessly. The gleam in Elizabeta's eyes was a mixture of both misery and hope. He couldn't understand why people were so keen on having children. He for one saw nothing special about kids, or rather, he just hadn't found someone he desired to bond and start a family with.

"We never stopped trying," she said. "Because we believe there are miracles and it's true!"

"Miracles?" Emil wanted to laugh. Emil never believed in miracles or God or whatever people had to say to justify why the way their life turned out as it was. If these beautiful things truly existed, there wouldn't be so many disasters and tragedies going on around the world. They wouldn't be trapped in an apocalypse. Frankly, he was just a normal college student trying to find a good intern. He didn't ask to be put in this kind of adversity and as bleak as it sounded, he saw nothing but trouble approaching this way.

He had tried calling Lukas many times but couldn't reach him. The line either went dead or no one picked up the phone. He didn't even bother with the news anymore. He didn't want to imagine anything happening to his own family. He didn't know where exactly they were heading to after they reached Town I and if it was really a safe place at all. All he knew was that he was stuck. On this damn train with a bunch of people he had just met an hour ago.

"You've got a really nice family there," Elizabeta pinpointed. "You really should cherish it."

"You think so?" Yong Soo gave her a faint smile. "You don't even know what kind of shit happened in this family da-ze."

He hunched forward and averted his gaze. They observed him intently.

"I made a mistake," he confessed slowly.

"What…kind of mistake?" Emil asked. He was curious but he didn't want to sound nosy.

"How bad is it?" Elizabeta asked.

"Bad enough for him to want a divorce," Yong Soo said with a mocking tone. "We used to have a business together. We started it right after we graduated. It went well for some time. Extremely well actually. And then I trusted the wrong person and made a terrible investment. Leon tried to stop me. I didn't listen to him. I thought he was being paranoid. I just didn't realise that even your own twin brother could backstab you and take away all your family fortune."

Emil shifted slightly in his seat. Elizabeta frowned. Yong Soo continued looking down at his feet.

"It was disastrous," he said. "We lost millions of dollars overnight and nearly got bankrupt. Leon was mad. So mad. He thought it was my fault. Everything could've been prevented if I had listened to him. But I decided to act on my own. We lost our business. He had to…well…work for his dad's company which he really hated. He had no choice because that was the only way out. He never liked what his dad planned for him. He wanted to prove himself capable of managing his own business but I ruined it. We got into some debts and almost lost our house. I bet on luck and tried gambling, which only made it worse. And then I started drowning myself in alcohol. We got into lots of fights. Yea, that pretty much led to him wanting a divorce."

The fight remained vivid in his memory. He had never seen Leon so enraged and frustrated. He was bellowing at him and crying at the same time. He remembered everything he said. It crushed his heart when Leon called him a piece of scum and when he accused him of breaking the entire family apart. They fought and hurt each other. Yong Soo ended up with a broken arm that night. Leon attempted to jump off the building.

"He said I was inconsiderate, naïve, hopelessly brainless," Yong Soo recited with a shrug. "Well, I suppose he might be right. I mean, I never got anywhere without him around. I really did try to make things right but only kept screwing up more. I love them. I don't want to leave this home but I don't want to make them upset either."

"Everyone makes mistakes," Elizabeta said. "I don't think it's unforgivable."

"He might think it is." Yong Soo took a look at Leon. His brows for once were not creased. He looked peaceful and soothed. He wanted to go over and kiss him, but he didn't know if he was permitted to claim those lips anymore. The grudge that filled Leon's eyes the night he tossed him out of their house haunted him. He had always wanted to come back. He missed them. But at the same time, he was scared he would mess up once more. Seeing Leon cry and attempt suicide again would be the last thing he wanted.

"You know what," Emil said, "he might be a badass but he has his way of doing things."

"Huh?" Yong Soo tilted his head in puzzlement.

"He never does something he doesn't want," Emil pointed out. "What I mean is, if he still hates you, he wouldn't even bother meeting up with you again."

Yong Soo blinked incredulously. Elizabeta smiled.

"That's true," she said. "You might've messed up, but there's definitely a way to fix it. I can tell he still cares about you."

"And if you can convince him to double my salary and reduce my workload by half, I will help you." Emil nudged him with a smirk.

Yong Soo laughed.

 **oOo**

Leon had a dream.

 _He stood close to the lake, observing the small ripples and the whirling fish. The cigarette burnt between his fingers. He took a puff. The incense sedated him. He walked along the narrow edge and spread out his arms for balance. The place was shadowed by massive trees and bushes. It was incredibly serene until a loud, obnoxious voice broke the stunning tranquillity._

 _A pair of strong arms wrapped around him and yanked him back to the safe area. He dropped his cigarette and groaned. Whoever tried to pull him away from the edge tripped, dragging him down with him. They both hit the floor._

 _"_ _That hurts…" the boy underneath him complained._

 _Leon quickly propped himself up and glared at the dark-haired boy rolling on the ground. He recognised his uniform immediately and that conspicuous hair curl. He thought he might have seen him somewhere in his school._

 _"_ _What the hell is wrong with you?" he growled. "Who are you?"_

 _"_ _That's not a very nice thing to say to your saviour da-ze!" the boy grumbled. He sat up and rubbed his butt._

 _"_ _What?" Leon scowled. The last thing he wanted was to have an idiotic looking guy interrupting his otherwise peaceful and carefree afternoon. He didn't skive off just to be tackled to the ground by a whining Korean boy. Right, he was never really fond of Koreans. They were always so…loud and energetic._

 _"_ _I just saved you!"_

 _"_ _From what?"_

 _"_ _From suicide!" the boy cried. "You shouldn't kill yourself da-ze! I know life is hard!"_

 _Leon stared at him in stunned silence. The boy didn't only look eccentric, he also sounded retarded. Leon decided he had had enough skipping classes. Maybe he really should head back to school. He stood up and dusted his pants. Not even bothering to acknowledge the other's presence, he turned on his heels._

 _"_ _Hey! Where're you going?" The boy grabbed his wrist. "I'm not letting you near the lake again!"_

 _"_ _Seriously, like, buck off," Leon said. "You're, like, mentally sick or something?"_

 _"_ _I'm not sick!"_

 _"_ _Yea, you, like, definitely are," Leon asserted and brushed away the boy's hand._

 _"_ _Life is too precious! Don't commit suicide!"_

 _The boy hugged his leg, refusing to let him go. Leon grunted and rolled his eyes. He smacked the boy's head and pried his arms open._

 _"_ _I wasn't, like, killing myself!"_

 _"_ _You weren't?" the boy gasped, looking up with a beam of delight. "But you looked so gloomy and you almost jumped into the water!"_

 _"_ _I was looking at the gems."_

 _Leon dragged the boy to the edge and pointed to those glittering stones lying in the lakebed. They came in an assortment of colours. No one knew how and when they got there. Those gorgeous stones sparkled in the sunlight and illuminated the entire lake. Leon bent down and dipped his hand into the water. He grabbed one purple stone and handed it to the boy._

 _"_ _Want one?"_

 _The boy blinked at the stone inquisitively before taking it. It glistened beautifully and made a marvellous ornament._

 _"_ _So…you weren't really killing yourself?"_

 _"_ _No," Leon said. "What, like, gave you that stupid idea?"_

 _"_ _I don't know… You always look so depressed," the boy said. Their eyes met. He was inches taller than Leon. His hair was messy, but his face was clean and chubby. He had a childish grin that Leon wouldn't deny was quite adorable._

 _"_ _Do I know you?" Leon frowned._

 _"_ _I'm in your class…" the boy said with an obvious hint of disappointment. "And I sit right behind you."_

 _"_ _Oh."_

 _Leon pondered hard. After a while, he snapped his fingers, finally remembering the boy's name._

 _"_ _Im Yong Soo!"_

 _The boy twitched reflexively upon hearing his full name. He glanced at Leon with a flushed face. Not many people would call him that._

 _"_ _You can just call me Yong or Soo or Yong Soo or Kimchi or Im…" he said, still blushing. "Or whatever."_

 _"_ _Why kimchi?" Leon asked. He found it necessary to point it out. Yong Soo only shrugged. He slid the stone into his pocket and smiled._

 _"_ _Or you can call me hyung~"_

 _The boy winked._

 _"_ _No."_

 _"_ _I'm just kidding. I live across the street," the Korean boy said. "You probably don't care."_

 _True Leon never realised that Yong Soo was actually his neighbour. He didn't talk to people much. Most of the time, he hid inside his room reading his own books, playing his own music and video games. He didn't know that Yong Soo could see him clearly from his bedroom window. Every time he practised his hip-hop dance and kung fu, the Korean boy was there to watch with impressed eyes._

 _When Leon learnt that all those foolish role-plays and imaginary conversations to stuffed pandas had been seen by Yong Soo all this time, he blushed immensely and stumbled back. He would have punched his face if he weren't his classmate. And a close neighbour at that. Yong Soo laughed and patted his back. He wondered why he had never noticed this boy before. He surely couldn't have missed Yong Soo's loud K-pop music and the horrible melodramas he played noisily every night._

 _"_ _Don't you, like, dare tell anyone," Leon said menacingly and grabbed Yong Soo's collar._

 _"_ _About what?"_

 _"_ _About…whatever you see from your window, you creep!" Leon yelped. His blush darkened. Yong Soo only snickered._

 _"_ _Oh, we can have a deal da-ze."_

 _Cheeky bastard._

 _"_ _Name it."_

 _"_ _Be my friend?" Yong Soo grinned brightly, placing his hands on Leon's shoulders. The Chinese boy squinted dubiously. He had never received such an offer. He didn't have any friends to begin with and he was fine on his own._

 _"_ _I've seen your pranks," Yong Soo exclaimed. "Those firecrackers are amazing da-ze! I've decided that I want you to be my sidekick!"_

 _"_ _What?"_

 _"_ _You know, for someone great like me who invents everything," Yong Soo boasted, tapping his chest proudly, "there needs to be a talented assistant. I think you're one."_

 _"_ _Drop it," Leon said. "Drop dead, Im Yong Soo. This is, like, not funny at all."_

 _"_ _I'll tell everyone you sleep with two stuffed pandas," Yong Soo said. "And you sleep with the lights on. You like to sing to a broomstick and pretend you're Jackie Chan and-"_

 _"_ _Shut up!" Leon yelled and clamped his hand over Yong Soo's mouth. "Stop it!"_

 _Yong Soo giggled. Leon's face could never be redder. "Shut the hell up."_

 _"_ _Well?" Yong Soo smirked. "I can be a very good friend da-ze! It'd be a lot of fun! I can teach you Korean! Korean is the most awesome language in the world, you know?"_

 _"_ _Can you, like, drop that verbal tic too?" Leon said. "It's annoying as hell."_

 _"_ _Can you, like, stop, like, saying 'like', in like, every sentence?" Yong Soo teased. Leon glared at him._

 _"_ _Why you!"_

 _"_ _But I think it's cute," Yong Soo added. Leon gasped. He looked away in embarrassment. He was aware that he had been speaking like a valley girl. He couldn't help it. He wasn't good at English when he was a child. After his parents got separated, Arthur made him communicate in English only and sent him to a British boarding school._

 _"_ _Fine, whatever," Leon said, folding his arms. If Yong Soo was really that desperate, he could do with a friend or two._

 _Yong Soo's smile got wider. He tackled his new "friend" into a bear hug, almost choking him._

 _"_ _Hooray! I've got a new sidekick da-ze!"_

 _Leon believed he must have lost his mind agreeing to hook up with this person._

Something warmth tickled his face. The train entered a dark tunnel. The shaking caused his head to bump onto the glass window. Leon opened his eyes. The surrounding slowly came into sight. Beads of sweat coated his forehead. He peeked at his arm. The bandages were soaked in red. He looked around and saw Emil on the other side. He had nodded off. The compartment was quiet. Leona was still leaning against him, sound asleep.

Leon moved gingerly. He placed Xiang in his seat and laid Leona's head on the fluffy toy instead. The girl stirred a little in her sleep. He gave her a swift kiss on the head and walked out to the corridor. Yong Soo suddenly grabbed his hand. He looked distressed.

Before Leon could speak, Yong Soo handed him his mobile phone.

"It's hyung…" Yong Soo stammered. Leon's eyes widened. He clutched the phone tightly and held it to his ear. The line was unstable and blurred, but he could still hear Yao's faint voice.

He walked out of the compartment, not wanting to disturb the others in their naps. He stood outside the toilet.

"L-Leon?" Yao called out weakly.

"Yao?" Leon gulped. There was a lot of background noise. Broken glasses. Gunshots. Groans. Wails.

"L-Listen, Leon…" Yao coughed. Something dropped to the ground and shattered. There were footsteps and screams.

"Yao, what's happening?" Leon shouted.

"Give me the bloody damn phone!" Arthur interrupted. "Leon, you're safe, right?"

"Yes, I am. Where are you guys right now?"

Leon tried to control himself, but the shrieks and gunshots were too distracting. He couldn't help shaking.

"And Leona is alright too, right?" Arthur asked, his voice quavering as well.

"Yes."

"Good. Did you meet Yong Soo?"

"Yes," Leon said. "We're on a train heading to another town."

"Great."

There was a grunt. Arthur dropped the phone. Yao was crying.

"Leon!" Yao took over the phone and wept. "Listen, my son, we love you. Both Arthur and I love you very much. We're so proud of you. Don't you forget that… We're sorry we can't be with you… Please, be safe. Protect her. Forgive Yong Soo. All she ever wants is a complete family… You know it matters, Leon… We may fight. We may argue. We may hurt each other, but that doesn't mean we hate each other… A family sticks together no matter what…"

"We don't have much time, champ," Arthur butted in. He was talking rapidly and also wheezing. Yao was sobbing beside him.

"Arthur! Where are you guys now!" Leon cried into the phone.

"Don't mind us," Arthur said. "We'll be fine. Everything will be okay. Do what you have to. We've done our job. I didn't raise you properly. That's my bad… I taught you to value success and pride but I forgot to tell you- Leon, there's something much, much more important than money… And I'm sure you know what it is…"

"Goodbye, our son," Yao whispered.

He heard a loud bang, followed by a series of groans and screams, the clicking of the safety and gunshots. The line went dead.

Leon dropped the phone, his hand trembling. He leant against the toilet door and fell to the ground.

"Leon?" Yong Soo ran over to his partner and shook him. "Leon!"

The man didn't look up. Torrents of tears streamed down his face. They dribbled down his chin and onto his collar. He was still shaking.

Yong Soo bit his lip and wrapped his arms around Leon. The man clasped his shirt tightly and buried his face into his chest.

"Leon, tell me what's happened..."

Leon shook his head. The last thing he heard was Yao's cry.

"They didn't make it…" Leon mumbled. "And…I, like, couldn't save them…"

Yong Soo shut his eyes and took a deep breath. He tightened his hug and swallowed his own tears. They sat on the floor in a cuddling mess.

"We'll be fine," he whispered. "I promise you, we'll be fine. I won't let anyone hurt us."

Leon wanted to cling to that promise. He had nothing to believe in now, except Yong Soo. His arms enveloped him protectively. They were big, warm and pacifying. Everything was slowly dissipating. He wished he could have seen their faces one last time. He wouldn't have been such a rebellious son then. He would have visited them more often, demanded less, respected them and showed them his gratitude, as a committed and caring son he should be. He would have said that he was as proud of them as they were of him. He wouldn't have broken all those school rules and set fire to the backyard just to infuriate Arthur. He wouldn't have refused to eat Yao's dumplings and snubbed him just because he kept nagging him. He would have included them in the family dinner, let them play with Leona more and called them "Dad". They would have been delighted… There were so many things he could have done but he didn't. And now, he could never do them in the future.

He didn't know how long he cried. Yong Soo's sobs resonated. He never let go of him. When they finally withdrew from each other, he kissed him. It was a gentle kiss that tasted of tears and blood.

"We'll be fine," Yong Soo re-assured him, stroking his hair lightly. "No one can hurt us," he hummed.


End file.
